White Robes, Black Wings
by Lysana
Summary: I was recently struck by similarities between Crysania from Dragonlance and Nicodareus from the far more obscure Watershed trilogy. This poem of contrasts and parallels is the result. You shouldn't need to have read either setting to appreciate it.


Summary: I was recently struck by similarities between Crysania from Dragonlance and Nicodareus from the far more obscure Watershed trilogy. This poem of contrasts and parallels is the result. You shouldn't need to have read either setting to appreciate it.

**White Robes, Black Wings**

SPOILER WARNING! This poem has a bunch of spoilers, though I've mostly kept them vague, for both DL Legends and the Watershed. But I figure you've either read the books already or, if I'm lucky, my poem might catch your interest enough that you decide to read them when you might not have otherwise. Still, if you want to read the books WITHOUT spoilers, go read them and THEN come back and read this poem.

* * *

Cleric's robes of holy white  
In the world of Krynn we know so well  
Kind gray eyes, a face of light  
A healer's heart with abiding faith

_In another world, unknown and far  
Demon's wings of spreading black  
Passionate eyes of leaping flame  
Great clawed hands, preparing to attack_

Lady Crysania, cleric of Paladine  
A gentle priestess, young and wise  
Love and fate led her into the gods' design  
And to Raistlin, a dark mage with a human heart

_Lord Nicodareus, Dassadec's child  
Through life spanning ages, a faithful slave  
Called the Eye for his world-reaching Sight  
A compassionate leader, patient and brave_

On a quest of hope for a god of good  
She challenged the past and fate itself  
The archmage's soul she thought she understood  
But both their hearts were more flawed than she knew

_Wreaking evil for a god of hate  
He saw brothers fall, precious friends die  
Pitted against heroes who must prevail  
He fought on, knowing he must always try_

Many pains laced through her way  
Fear for her beloved, grief for her world  
Doubting and weary, she sought to pray  
Her god's kind comfort always held her safe

_For a tally of failures not his fault  
He faced dark condemnation from above  
Tortured countless times, abused without cause  
By a god who did not return his love_

Into nightmare she walked, afraid but strong  
To the Abyss itself at her mage's side  
But their souls were torn as things went wrong  
In a realm where her god held little sway

_Fighting unbroken, accepting his pain  
Believing his punishments only right  
After months of pursuit he faced his foe  
And a deadly trap invisible to his Sight_

Lost in the underworld, besieged by dark  
Unable to find the one she sought  
Then terror, bonds, a stake, a spark  
Through fire and pain she went alone

_Even in death, not granted peace  
Betrayed by the father his heart adored  
Through Dassadec's cruelty and vengeful scorn  
Only to pain was he restored_

Grief and guilt tore through her mind  
Realizing love had not been all she felt  
Yet friends still sought her, bound to find  
And through it all, her loving god forgave

_Simple torture of agony no longer enough  
For the angry vengeance his god enjoyed  
Shame and the breaking of his heart  
Pride and innocence broken and destroyed_

If Paladine had treated his daughter so  
Would her heart have turned from love of him?  
No, her faith would live through pain too deep to know  
She too might believe she deserved the hurt

_In a crushed soul his faith endured  
A loyalty his cruel god couldn't understand  
His heart more fit to serve a god of light  
Deserved, yet never felt, a father's loving hand_

Faithful to her final breath  
Her people called her "Revered Daughter"  
In the end she lived, kept safe from death:  
Crysania, a hero to her world.

_Faithful to his final breath  
His father called him "Worthless son"  
In the end he died, struck from behind:  
Nicodareus, a hero praised by none._

* * *

Author's Note: As you can probably tell, I greatly love and admire both of these characters. The books they're from are amazing too, even though they can be painful to read at times - but then many of the most rewarding books are! If you haven't read _Dragonlance: Legends_ and/or Doug Niles' _Watershed_ Trilogy, and if you're one of those lucky people who has time to read, maybe you'd look up a copy?

And since we're just that kind of fangirls, my sister Razzle and I have BOTH posted 'Nicodareus comes back' fanfics under FF.N's brand-new Watershed trilogy category! Please note, it was Razzle's idea first to write a story like that - I've just jumped on the bandwagon. Well, take a look at the fics if you like! :)

To hear the audio version of this poem as read aloud by me, click the Homepage link on my profile and then go to "Audio Fanfiction Library." It's a new (started in 2010) but growing website, run by my sister Razzle and me - check it out! We'd love for you to be a voice-actor for fics we record and upload in the future, and/or get some of YOUR fics made into audio form!


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